Sheet-delivery mechanism for printing-machines.



No. 699,867. 7 Patented May I3, I902.

C. P. COTTRELL. SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

(Application filed. Nov. 27, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I,

(No Model.)

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No. 699,867. Patented Ma y l3, I902.

, c. P. COTTBELL. SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

(Application filed Nov. 27, 1901.) I (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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CHARLES P. COTTRELL, OF WVESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO C. B. COTTBELL & SONS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,867, dated May 13, 1902.

4: Application filed November 27, 1.901. Serial N0..83,871. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES P. COTTRELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of WVesterly, in the county of WVashington and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Delivery Mechanism for Printing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide in a convenient manner in a printing-machine for the delivery of the printed sheets with either side upward, as may be desired; and to this end the invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts, hereinafter described and claimed, including an oscillating fly-frame for the delivery of the sheets with their freshly-printed sides downward and endless chains and attached grippers for their delivery with their freshly-printed sides upward.

Figure 1 is a side view of parts of a tworevolution cylinder printing-machine having applied to it for interchangeable use an oscillating fly delivery-frame and endless grippercarrying deliverychains according to my invention; Fig. 2, a section taken parallel with Fig. 1 of the cylinder, the fly-frame, and parts of the endless-chain delivery devices; Fig. 3,atransverse sectional View taken in front of the cylinder.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A is the impression cylinder, which is mounted in the usual or in any suitable manner in hearings on the main framing B of the machine.

R is the receiving-table for the delivered printed sheets, supported in stands E E on the framing B at a level below the upper part of the cylinder A and at a distance in front thereof greater than the length of the sheets.

The cylinder A is fitted with the usual grippers, (not shown,) which take the sheets to be printed from the feed-table C and from which the printed sheets are stripped by the usual strippers a, said strippers guiding the sheets between the tape-rollers b c, the shafts b c of which run in bearings in brackets D, mounted on the journal-boxes 1* of the cylinder-shaft g.

(Z represents carrying tapes'arranged between the cylinder and the receivingtable and running on the rollers 12 and on rollers e on a shaft 6, which is supported in the stands E. The tape-rollersb and tapes d derive motion from a gear f on the cylinder-shaft 9 through a gear h on the rollershaft 1) and an intermediate gear i, which turns freely on a fixed studj, carried by one of the brackets D, and which gears with f and h. The brackets D, stud j, and shaft 1) being carried by the boxes 9* of the cylinder-shaft, the gear '6 always remains in gear with the gears f and h. The upper runs of the tapes d travel in a forward direction away from the cylinder. The gear 72., which runs constantly, is loose on the shaft 1), but is capable of engagement therewith by means of a friction clutch-disk It, Fig. 3, which is fast on the shaft. The engagement of said shaft 1) with and its disengagement from said gear h are effected by a slight longitudinal movement of said shaft in opposite directions to bring the frictiondisk 7:; into or out of contact with the gear h. This movement is provided for by means of a grooved cam F (see Fig. 3) on the cam-shaft G, which also carries the cam H for operating the fiy-frame, as will be hereinafter described, the said shaft G making one revolutionfor each impression. This cam F operates through a short rock-shaft l, a rod m, and an elbow-lever a, which is forked at its upper end to embrace a grooved collar 17 on the shaft (2, said rock-shaft working in fixed bearings Z on the main framing B and having one arm Z which engages with the groove of the camF, and.

another arm Z which is connected by the rod or with the lower arm of the elbow-lever a, said lever working on a fixed fulcrum n on the framing B. The throw of the cam F and the lengths of the arms 1 .1 ofthe rock-shaft land of the two arms of the elbow-lever a should be so proportioned that the longitudinal movement of the shaft I) should not be sufficient to displace the rollers 12b from the rollers c c. It is obvious that the said longitudinal movement requires to be extremely slight. The engagement of the shaft'b with the gear 7L is also provided for by a spring 30, (see Fig. 3,) which is applied between the collar 12 and the adjacent bearing of said shaft and which acts to press the friction-disk 7c in contact with the gear 71.

I is the rock-shaft of the fly delivery-frame,

and 0 the fly-fingers attached thereto. This fly delivery-frame, except as to the position of the rock-shaft, resembles fly-frames commonly used in printing-machines for delivering the printed sheets. The bearings for said rock-shaft in the stands E are situated at a distance forward of the cylinder A beyond the forward tape carrying rollers e, which rollers are at a distance from the cylinder greater than the length of the printed sheets. The fly-fingers 0 are so spaced that they may intervene between the carryingtapes d and between the rollers e. The rockshaft I and the rest-bar 0, provided in the brackets D for the ends of the fly-fingers, are at such elevations that when the frame is thrown backward, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the fingers resting on said bar 0' the fingers will be below the upper runs of the tapes d. Sheet-stops a: are provided on the fingers 0 of the fiy-frame, said stops being slid over the said fingers and secured thereon by binding-screws y, providing for their adj ustment lengthwise of the fingers.

The means for producing the oscillating movement of the fiy-frame may be and are represented as substantially like those commonly used in printing-machines, as I will now briefly describe.

The rock-shaft I is furnished at one end with a toothed sector J, Fig. 1, which gears with a toothed rack-bar p, which derives a longitudinal reciprocating motion from the cam H, before mentioned, the said rack-bar being connected with one arm of an elbowlever K, which works on a fulcrum q, fixed on the framing, and the other arm of which is connected by a rod q with a lever L, which works on a fixed fulcrum g on the framing, 1

the said lever L being provided with a roller (1 which is kept in contact with the cam H by a spring q, applied between the lever L anda suitable fixed bearing The toothed rack on the bar 1) is kept in gear with the toothed sector J by a bearing-roller 1), ap-

plied behindsaid bar on a stand affixed to the framing.

For the purpose of suspending the action of the fly-frame and holding it back, with its fingers o in the inoperative position, (shown in Figs. 1 and 2,) between the tapes and below the upper runs thereof, a detent, represented as a gab-hook 25, pivoted 'to the frame B, is provided to engage with a stud or projection 26 on the lever K, and so lock said lever in a position to hold back the lever L positively both alike and such gripper-carrying chains being common in sheet-delivery apparatus I have thought it sufficient to represent one of them. The said chains are carried above the level of the tapes d on the sprocket-wheels N, which turn on fixed studs 1), carried by the stands E, and on sprocket-wheels N, which turn on fixed studs 1;, carried by the stands E, and between the said sprocketwheels N and those N the said chains are supported in straight guides P, carried by the stands E E. Said stands, chains, and guides are at a distance apart laterally greater than the width of the fiy-frame, that the fingers 0 of the latter may pass between them. The sprocket-wheels N, on which the rearward portions of said chains run, are a short "distance in rear of the tape-carrying shaft 6 and rollers e. For giving motion to said chains the sprocket-wheels N have attached to them spur-gears Q, which gear with two spur-gears S on a shaft S", which turns in bearings in the stands E and which has on one end a bevelgear S gearing with a bevel-gear u on an upright shaft to, which works in bearings 10* on the outside of the framing B and stand E. This shaft 11, has on its lower end a bevelgear 162, which gears with a bevel-gear which is carried by a spur-gearu (concealed by said spur-gear 163 in Fig. 1,) turning on a fixed stud n in a stand it on the lower part of the framing B. The spur-gear last mentioned gears with a spur-gear T, which is carried by a spurgear T, turning on a fixed stud T affixed to the framingB. The gear T gears with and is driven by a gear U, Fig. 1, on the camshaft G, and so imparts motion through the gears T, the spur-gear n and its attached bevel-gear, the gear of, shaft to, and gears 11. S to the sprocket-wheel-driving shaft S.

The grippers s t, hereinbefore mentioned as carried by the endless chains, consist of any suitable number of members 5 and corre-' sponding members 25, which operate between the carrying-tapes (l. The grippermembers s consist of jaws rigidly attached to a bar 8, which is rigidly attached to the two carrying-chains, and the anembers 2 are jaws fastened on a spindle t, which is pivoted into the carrying-chains and which is furnished near one end with a tappet i for operation against stationary cams w w, which are affixed to the sprocket-wheel studs 4; o for the purpose of opening the grippers at the proper times to receive the printed sheets from the tapes d and to release them for deposit on the table. The gripper members i are normally closed by springs applied in the usual or any suitable manner.

To explain further the operations ofthe two deliveries, I will first suppose that the flydelivery is to be used for delivering the sheets with the last-printed side downward. In this case either the grippers, with their bar 8 and spindle 13', should be removed from the chains M or the gears T T removed from the stud T If the grippers, with their bar and spindle, be removed, the chains will run inoperatively; but if said gears onlybe removed to IIO stop the running of the chains the latter should be moved to bring the grippers to a position over the sprocket-wheels N, where their bar and spindle will be out of reach of the fiy-frame. For this operation of the fly-de livery the shaft 1), which drives the tapes, is disconnected from the cam F, which may be done by taking out the pin which connects the rod m with the rock-shaft arm Z leaving the said shaft 1) under the control of the spring 30, which keeps the gear it constantly coupled with the shaft 1) by the friction-disk 7t and the tapes constantly running. The hook 25 being then thrown back from the stud 26 on the lever K to a position of rest against a projection 27 on the frame to leave the fly-operatin g mechanism free to the operation of the cam II, and the printing-machine being then set in operation, each printed sheet taken on by the carrying-tapes d, which are then in motion, will be carried forward, printed side upward, over the fly-fingers, while the latter are thrown back to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 until the front edge strikes the stops in. The cam I-I then by its movement permits the fly-frame to be thrown forward by the action of the spring g on the lever L to turn over the sheet and deposit it on the table B. After this deposit of the sheet the fly-frame is swung back by the action of the cam to its position of rest on the bar 0', ready for the reception of another sheet to be delivered on the table R in the same manner. To change from the use of the fiydelivery to the use of the endless-chain delivery for the delivery of the sheets with their printed side upward, the sheet-stops 50' are removed from the fly-fingers or set forward thereon beyond the tapes, and the fly-operating mechanism is brought to the position shown in Fig. 1, in which the fly-frame is held back between the tapes and the lever L beyond the operative reach of the cam, and the said mechanism is so locked by bringing the detent 25 into engagement with the lever K. The connection between the cam F and the shaft 1) is also restored. If the grippers had been removed from their, carrying-chains M, they should now be replaced and the chains be so adjusted relatively to the impressioncylinder and the mechanism for operating the tapes (I that the grippers arrive in such position below the sprocket-wheels N, where they are opened by the cam w just as the sheet carried by the tapes has its front edge brought to the grippers. This adjustment of the chains may be effected by turning the shaft S by a hand-crank or equivalent device, the gears T T being at the time removed from the stud T The latter gears having been replaced in gear with U and 163, respectively, and the machine having been set in motion, each sheet taken from the cylinder on the tapes d, with its lastprinted side upward, is carried by the latter till its front edge reaches the grippers, which are then held open by the cam w, and at this moment by the action of the cam F the taperoller shaft is disengaged from its drivinggear 71 and the movement of the tapes is arrested. The grippers then immediately escaping from the cam 10 close on the sheet, which is then carried forward over the table R until the grippers arrive at the cam w, on striking which they open and liberate the sheet, which then drops to the table with the last-printed side upward.

On reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the chain-driving gears U and T are shown eccentric to their shafts. This eccentricity may not be necessary, but I consider it preferable in order that the chains may have a slower motion at the time of opening the grippers to drop the sheets upon the receivingtable. It may also be seen on reference to Figs. 1 and 2 that the tapes and the gripperchains are represented with a downward inclination in a forward direction. I consider this inclination desirable to facilitatethe carrying forward of the sheets.

Except as to what is hereinafter claimed, the devices hereinabove described are subjectmatter of my application, Serial No. 73,151, for United States Patent filed August 24, 1901.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a printing-machine, the combination of a rotary impression-cylinder, a fly delivery frame and mechanism for operating the same, a chain delivery-carrier consistingof chains and attached grippers, tapes common to said fiy-frame and to said carrier for receiving the printed sheets from said cylinder and presenting them either to said fiy-frame or said carrier and means for securing the said mechanism with the fly-frame in an inoperative position between the tapes and below the operative portions thereof, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

2. In a printing-machine, the combination of a rotary impression-cylinder, a fly deliveryframe and a rock-shaft for said frame, a chain delivery-carrier consisting of chains and attached grippers, tapes common tosaid -fiyframe and to said carrier for receiving sheets from the cylinder and presenting them either to said fiyframe or to said carrier, a toothed sector on said rock-shaft, a rack-bar engaging with said sector, a rotary cam and operating mechanism between said cam and said rackbar, and a detent applied to said mechanism for holding it out of operative relation to said cam with the fly-frame stationary below the operative portions of the tapes, substantially as herein described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesscs,.this 25th day of November, A. D. 1901.

CHARLES P. COTTRELL.

\Vitnesses:

A. R. STILLMAN, THEODORE DOWNS. 

